Apparatus for sterilizing footwear and removing odors and moisture therefrom



April 4, 1961 s. J. VASSILIADES ETAL 2,977,647 APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING FOOTWEAR AND REMOVING ODORS AND MOISTURE THEREFROM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1958 Hun INVENTORS SOPHOCLES J. VASSILIADES WILLARD J. HOMER BY MV-W ATTORNEYS Apr1l4, 1961 s. J. VASSILIADES ETAI. 2, 77, 7

APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING FOOTWEAR AND REMOVING ODORS, AND MOISTURE THEREFROM Filed Dec. 22, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ISLE: 2.

SOPHOCLES J-VASSILIADES WILLARD J- HOMER BY KW ATTORNEYS Apr1l4, 1961 s. J VASSILIADES ET AL 2,977, 47

APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING FOOTWEAR AND REMOVING ODORS AND MOISTURE THEREFROM Filed Dec. 22, 1958 3 Sheets-Ashen 3 INVENTORS SOPHOCLES JVASSIL'IADES WI LLARD J. HOMER BY M Y W ATTORNEYS nited APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING FOOTWEAR REMOVING ODORS AND MOISTURE THERE- FROM Sophocles J. 'Vassiliades, 2010 Nere Creek Chase Drive, 7

and Willard J. Homer, 1170 Fremont Ave, bothof Salt Lake City, Utah 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 782,238 I 5 Claims. or. 21-12 The present invention relates to improvements in an apparatus for sterlizing. footwear and removing odors 2 V fines a'compartment B. Articles of footwear C may be placed in this compartment and supported on brackets D. Germicidal lamps E are carried by these brackets so as to be disposed on the interiors of the articles of footwear.

Additional germicidal lamps E and E are mounted in p the compartment Band are arranged exteriorly of the footwear C.

' As thespecifi'cation continues; it ,will be pointed out that all of these germicidal lamps will produce ultra-violet rays-and ozone. "The ultra-violet rays and ozone serve to counteractincr eases in relative humidity-and, thereand moisture therefrom. I It consists of the combinations, I lconstructions and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed. a

It is a well known fact that various articles of footwear,- such as shoes, moccasins, slippers and the like, become contaminated with odors and "moisture during use, and: especially when the feet of the wearer are subjectto entire interior and exterior surfaces of the footwear,- while at the sametime subjecting these same surfaces; This treatment of the footwear may to ultra-violet rays. 7 be continued for a predetermined period of time, result ing in removing odors and moisture from the footwear and killing any fungi or bacteria on the footwear. I

,Another object is to providea cabinet having germicidal lamps disposed therein, which will produce ozone and ultra-violet rays. circulating sterile airwithin the cabinet. The ultra-violet radiation and the presence of ozone will serve to counter-.1

act increases in relative humidity and thereby prevent germ growths, Maintenance of sterile air throughout the cabinet will inhibit the transfer and kill existing fungi. Also, the ozone will destroy odors.

Another. object of the invention is to provide-a device of the type described which will protect the eyes of an operator from being exposed to the ultra-violet rays. The ozone is not harmful to any part of the body.

fications continue. The novel features of our. invention will be set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

Drawings For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which:

' Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of our apparatus for sterlizing footwear and removing odors and moisture therefrom, parts being shown in elevation;

Moreover, a fan is provided for fore, prevent germ growth on the footwear. The ozone will not only retard fungi growth; but, also, will destroy odors. Sterile air is circulated in the compartment B by a fan F to inhibit the transfer and kill existing fungi on the footwear.; The air is drawn into the compartment B through an inlet grill G, and is discharged through an exhaust grill H (see Figure 1).

The cabinet A defines front and back walls 10 and 11, respectively, opposite end walls 12 and 13, a base 14, and a cover 15. The latter is secured by a hinge 16 to the top of the back wall 11. As shown in Figure 2, a

spring-pressed latch bolt 17 is slidably carried by the cover 15, and may be engaged with a keeper 18 on the front-Wall 10 for holding" the cover in closed position.

The cabinet may be made from any suitable material, for instance, aluminum. ,The cover 15 may be opened to give access to the compartment B.

As previously pointed out, the footwearC may be shoes, moccasins, slippersior the like. Each bracket D has its base 19 secured to the back wall 11 so that the bracket will project forwardly from this wall. It will be apparent from Figures 1 and 2 that the articles of footwear C are supported in spaced relation with the walls, base and cover of the cabinet; and, also, are spaced from one another. This arrangement will allow free circula- Other objects'and advantages will appear as thespecig.

' 1 E ismounted in each of the sockets 22.

tion of air in andaround the footwear. and E are disposed about midway of the length of the footwear C and exteriorly of the latter, the lamp E being disposed in front ofithe supported article of footwear andthe lamp 'E being disposed in back of thefootwe'ar Y vpassageway 24 between the rim 21 of the bracket and the lamp socket 22 through which sterile air may be discharged, as suggested by the arrow 25, the purpose of which will be describedlater.

As clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, a germicidal lamp protect theselamps from breakage, we provide openmesh protective shields 26 thereover, these shields being carried by the brackets D and engaging with the interiors of the counters 27 of the footwear C to support the latter.

. The lamps E extend into the articles of footwear, when Figure 2 -is a transverse sectional view taken along the plane IIII of Figure l; and

Figure 3 .is a wiringdiagrar'n'.

While we have shown only the preferrediform of our invention, it should be understood that various changes,

or modifications, may 'be made within the scope of the annexed claims without departing from the spirit thereof;

' Detailed description Referring to the drawings, it will be noted that we provide a cabinet designated generally atA 'which dethe latter are supported on the brackets D.

The germicidal lamps E are commercial items and will radiate ultra-violet rays; and, also, will produce ozone. By Way of disclosure only, the germicidal lamp (64811), which is manufactured by Sylvania Electric Products Inc., is suitable. It has a circuit voltage range (ballast rating) of -125 volts, and uses 4 watts. As stated earlier, the germicidal ultra-violet radiation and the presence of ozone from the lamps E will serve to counteract increases in the relative humidity and, therefore, prevent germ growth. The ozone produced by the lamps B will not only retard fungigrowth, but willalso destroy odors.

It will be apparent that the ultra-violet rays and ozone from the lamps E will reach the entire interior surfacesof the footwear. The additional germicidal lamps E.

Fatented Apr. 4, 19 1 The lamps E In order toand E are mounted on the front and back walls 10 and 11, respectively, of the cabinet A. The lamps E and E are carried by sockets 28, and these lamps are protected by open-mesh protective shields 29. The lamps E and E are identical with the lamp E, and both produce ultra-violet rays and ozone, which will cover the entire exterior surfaces of the footwear C, as suggested by the rays 30 in Figure 2. j

The germicidal lamps E, E and E are located so as to allow the greatest utilization of direct radiation. These lamps give off very little heat, thereby preserving the texture of the leather of the footwear C. Q

For the purpose of maintaining sterile air throughout the cabinet Athat will inhibit the transfer and kill existing fungi, the air which enters through the intake grill G first passes through an opening 31 fashioned in the end wall 12, and then moves through a cartridge 32. the latter being supported in a holder 33. This cartridge contains a mild basic caustic substance that will kill bacteria and absorb moisture. The cartridge 32 covers the opening 31.

In its structural details, the'suction fan F defines a housing 34 having an intake opening 35 through which air may be drawn from the compartment B into the interior of housing 34, when an impelleri36 is rotated by an electric motor 37. The outlet conduit 38 from a housing 34 leads to the exhaust grill H,(see Figure 1). An air inlet funnel 39 is disposed in the conduit 38 to face upstream of the air flow and direct part of the air into tubes 46. These tubes lead to the cavities 20- of the brackets D (see Figure 2).

The sterile air entering the cavities 20 will' be forced through the annular passageways 24, and will be directed over the entire interior surfaces of the footwear C. Inasmuch as the top rims 41 of the footwear are 'open, the sterile air will escape from the footwear, and will be circulated over the exterior surfaces of the footwear.

It will be observed from Figure 1 that the articles of footwear C are interposed between the air intake grill G and the fan F. This arrangement will cause a general.

flow of sterile air over the exterior surfaces of the footwear.

For the purpose of allowing the germicidal lamps E, E and E to be deenergized after a predetermined length of time; and, also, to stop the motor 37 of the fan, F, we provide a timer J. The latteris provided with a dial 42 on its face, and the timer has a swingable handle 43,

which is formed with a pointer 44 movable over thedial. An electric contact arm 45 is mounted to move with the pointer 44 (see Figure 3). On the interior of the timer I there is provided an arcuate contact 46. When the pointer 44 registers with the reading on the dial 42, the contact arm 45 will be just out of electrical engagement with the arcuate contact 46; however, when the pointer is moved to a preselected reading on the dial, the arm 45 will engage with the contact 46 and a predetermined length of time will elapse before the pointer returns to 0 reading.

The electrical circuit for energizing and controlling the motor 37 of the fan F is shown in Figure 3. Here, a lead-in wire 47 extends from a source of current to a socket 48. A plug 49 is detachably connected to the socket 48, and has a wire 50 leading from this plug to the motor 37. Another wire 51 extends from this motor and back to the plug 49. As illustrated in Figure 3, a wire 52 leads from the socket 48 to a wire 53 that is connected with the contact arm 45. When the latter engages with the arcuate contact 46, electricity will flow from contact 46 and over a wire 54 to one terminal 55 of a micro-switch K. The other terminal 56 of this switch is connected by a wire 57 to a lead-out wire 58 that extends back to the source ofcurrent.

It will be noted that the micro-switch K is supported on a bracket 59 which is carried by the front wall 10. A plunger 60 projects from the micro-switch and is depressed by the cover to move the terminals 55 and 56 into contact with one another whenever the cover is closed. Thus the motor 37 will stop whenever the cover is raised, even though the timer J is still running. This arrangement will prevent exposure to direct ultra-violet rays. The switch is automatically opened when the cover is raised.

In order to place the germicidal lamps E, E and E in operation, a conventional ballast assembly L is required; and it is used in connection with the electrical circuits for all of these lamps.

Referring to Figure 3, it will be observed that the lead-in wire 47 is connected to a socket 61. A plug 62 is detachably connected to the socket 61, and has a wire 63 leading from this plug to one terminal 64 of the lamp E the other terminal 65 of this lamp being connected by a wire 66 that extends back to the plug 62. Another wire 67 extends from the socket 61 to the ballast assembly L, and the latter is connected by a wire 68 to the wire 53 of the timer J. Assuming that the contact arm 45 is disposed in engagement with the arcuate contact 46, the electricity will flow over the wire 54 to the switch K. On the further assumpting that the terminals 55 and 56 are closed, the electricity will flow over the wire 57 to the lead-out wire 58 to the source of current. The electrical circuits for energizing and controlling N the germicidal lamps E and E are identical with the cir- 4 cuit just described in connection with lamp E. Accordingly, like reference numerals have been applied to corresponding parts, except for the fact that they have been primed Whenever the cover 15 is opened, all of the lamps will be automatically deenergized, whereby the operator will not be exposed to the ultra-violet rays.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, all of the sockets 48, 61 and 61 are secured to a junction box M. The latter may be mounted on the back wall 11 of the cabinet A,

, as shown in Figure 2; and the lead-in wire 47 and leadout wire 58 may be accommodated in a detachable service cord N. With this arrangement, it will be apparent that the motor 37 and its electrical circuit, or any one of the germicidal lamps along with its electrical circuit,

. may be readily detached for service or replacement,

without disturbing the other electrical circuits.

It may be desirable to regulate the amount of air that is by-passed from the fan outlet conduit 38 into the tubes 40. For this reason, we have shown a regulating damper 69 which is adjustably mounted over the rim of articles offootwear C at one time.

the inlet funnel 39. This damper may be secured in adjusted position by a set-screw 70 (see Figure 1).

We have shown a glass window 71 in Figures 1 and 2 that will allow the operator to view the germicidal lamps E, E and E without raising the cover 15. This glass will prevent the ultraviolet rays from reaching the eyes of the operator. 6

Of course, the cabinet A may be made of any suitable size so as to accommodate any desired number of The machine is portable, and may be carried about by grasping a handle 72 secured to the cover 15 of the cabinet. 6

We claim:

1. in an apparatus for sterilizing footwear and removing odors and moisture therefrom; a cabinet defining a the germicidal lamp; and means for delivering sterile air over and into intimate contact with the interior of the art1cle of footwear to inhibit the transfer and kill existing fungi, while at the same time destroying odors.

2. In an apparatus for sterilizing footwear and removing odors and moisture therefrom: a cabinet'defining a compartment; a bracket secured to a wallof the compartmerit and projecting therefrom and being made to support an article of footwear; the bracket having a cavity extending thereinto from a forward rim of the bracket; a lamp socket supported in the cavity of the bracket, and being spaced from the rim to provide an annular passageway between the rim and the socket through which sterile air may be discharged into the interior of the footwear; means connected to the cavity of the bracket for delivering sterile air to the cavity for discharge through said passageway into the interior of the article of footwear, thereby inhibiting the transfer and kill existing fungi, while at the same time destroying odors; a germicidal lamp carried by the socket to extend into the interior of the article of footwear, when the latter is supported on the bracket; the lamp being made to produce ultra-violet rays and ozone to which the interior of the article of footwear will be exposed'to thereby conteract increases in relative humidity and prevent germ growth; and means for energizing the germicidal lamp.

3. In an apparatus for sterilizing footwear and removing odors and moisture therefrom: a cabinet defining a compartment; the cabinet having opposite end walls; one of the end walls having an air inlet opening therein; a cartridge covering said opening, and containing a mild basic caustic substance that will kill bacteria and absorb moisture; a suction fan mounted adjacent to the other end wall of the cabinet, and communicating with the compartment to withdraw air therefrom; and means for supporting an article of footwear in the compartment between said air inlet and the fan, whereby the general flow of sterile air from the cartridge to the fan will flow over the article of'footwear to inhibit the transfer and kill existing fungi, while at the same time destroying odors.

4. In an apparatus for sterilizing footwear and re- ,moving odors and moisture therefrom, as set forth in each being made to produce ultra-violet rays and ozone;

the lamps being disposed to subject the entire interior and exterior surfaces of the article of footwear to the ultraviolet rays and ozone that will serve to counteract increases in relative humidity and thereby prevent germ growth; means for energizing the germicidal lamps; and,

means for circulating sterile air over and into intimate contact with the interior and exterior surfaces of the article of footwear to inhibit and kill existing fungi, while at the same time destroying odors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,961,700 Moehler June 5, 1934 2,350,091 Bergman May 30, 1944 2,592,131 Farrar Apr. 8, 1952 2,594,103 Ward Apr. 22, 1952 

